Freedom Caucus to Back Ryan as Speaker

There were a lot of changes during the final weeks of the election. In October, it was thought that Donald Trump’s race to the White House was done. Washington Post published a hot mic moment where he said because of his power he could “grab” girls “by the pussy,” and the backlash was enormous. Political leaders pulled any support from Donald Trump, as the latest scandal seemed like the last. There were articles after articles about how this was the final straw for the business billionaire. It was even hard for Donald Trump’s aides and supporters to justify the statements. Then, multiple women came out with stories about how Donald Trump sexually assaulted them. If we think back to this time, it really did seem like Trump’s road to the White House might be blocked.

Which is why Speaker of the House Paul Ryan may have pulled away his support for the Republican candidate. Trump and Ryan never had the best relationship, but as Speaker of the House, the highest leadership position for the GOP in the House, it is expected that Ryan should support Trump, and help him win. Ryan, whose job is to move bills through into law, would benefit the most with a Republican president. But Ryan was thinking of his own future. If he supported a nominee who lost in a big way, and further divided the Republican Party, Ryan would have a hard time explaining why he supported such a controversial candidate. But at the same time, if Trump won and Ryan had not supported him, he would also have a hard time explaining why he did not support, and help, the candidate reach the Oval Office.

After the hot mic moment and Ryan announced he would step away from the candidate, the Freedom Caucus immediately turned up the heat. Even though it was widely thought that Trump, at this point, had no chance, the Freedom Caucus was not okay with the fact the Republican leader would leave the Republican candidate in his final days. The Freedom Caucus constituents, mostly, are strong supporters of Trump. It was thought that if Trump lost, the Freedom Caucus would pull their support for Ryan and work on choosing a different Speaker of the House.

But now, it seems that Donald Trump’s olive branch towards Speaker Paul Ryan is enough for the Freedom Caucus. POLITICO reported that the Freedom Caucus will get behind Ryan in order to help with Donald Trump’s first 100 days of passing legislation. Since, at this point, Trump seems to be supporting Ryan, the Freedom Caucus will follow suit.

The powerful Freedom Caucus is backing down against Ryan. The speaker, who was a little all over the place when it came to supporting Trump, looks like he will still have his job. And ironically, he has Trump to thank for that.